Sueño

Sueño is the rooftop bar upstairs from Norté on the Gold Coast Highway at Mermaid Beach, run by the Friends Of hospitality group, which is also behind Rick Shores in Burleigh Heads. It bills itself as an ocean-breeze rooftop, with open skies and salt-washed umbrellas, and it carries the Latin American theme of the restaurant below into a more relaxed, drinks-led setting.

The bar list leans heavily into tequila and mezcal, so it is a good place to explore agave spirits, whether neat or in cocktails, and margaritas are a staple. Food runs to fresh ceviche, tostadas and grilled asados, the kind of dishes that suit sharing over a few rounds. Three menus are posted on the website: a food and drink list, a weekend brunch menu and a set menu for groups.

Weekend afternoons are the obvious time to visit. The bar opens at midday from Friday to Sunday and runs through to 11pm, so a long lunch can easily stretch into sunset drinks, and the weekend brunch menu gives the earlier hours a focus. On Thursdays it opens at 4pm, while Monday to Wednesday are not listed as trading days. Check the website before you go, as rooftop venues can close for private events.

Sueño suits groups of friends, couples and anyone celebrating, particularly those who enjoy cocktails more than beer. For private events there are two separate roof terraces that together take around 40 seated or 50 standing guests, a banquet table for up to 14, and the option of hiring the whole rooftop for about 60 standing; it can also be booked together with Norté for larger exclusive events. Tables are reserved online through the booking link on the website, and event enquiries go through a separate form.

Because Norté is directly below, it is easy to start with drinks on the roof and move downstairs for dinner from the wood-fired hearth, or the reverse. Mermaid Beach also has several of the coast's best-regarded restaurants along the same highway, including Etsu Izakaya, Little Truffle and The North Room, so Sueño works well as a pre-dinner or post-dinner stop on a food-focused night out.